Driver in custody for fatal crash in Warren

The driver of a vehicle involved in a weekend crash in Warren that killed a 20-year-old Detroit woman is in police custody as prosecutors on Monday mulled potential criminal charges against him.

The 35-year-old Farmington Hills man, whose name was not divulged by police pending formal charges, could be arraigned Tuesday in 37th District Court.

Warren detectives said the suspect was speeding on westbound 12 Mile Road, west of Mound Road at approximately 12:30 a.m. Sunday and lost control of the 2007 Subaru Impreza. A witness reported after the driver sped passed him, he saw the taillights swerve off the road, according to Detective Lt. Heidi Metz.

The Impreza struck a pole and a tree along the north side of 12 Mile, just east of Dequindre Road, police said.

Rear-seat passenger Kimber Lee Mao was ejected from the vehicle. She and the driver and a front-seat passenger were transported to William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak. Mao died at the hospital at 3:30 a.m., police said.

Her boyfriend, identified as a 23-year-old resident of Taylor, was seated in the front and suffered a leg fracture in the crash.

Investigators believe alcohol use was a factor in the incident. A blood sample was drawn from the driver to determine whether he was intoxicated at the time. Results of that test were not immediately available.

The driver was discharged from the hospital at approximately 6 a.m. Sunday. Officers took him to the Warren Police Department lockup where he remains held.

“We have submitted a warrant, are asking for charges and we’re waiting for the prosecutor’s decision,” Metz said.

Police did not reveal where the driver and his passengers were coming from or where they were headed.

The driver and Mao’s boyfriend were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, police added.

Warren police requested anyone who may have seen the speeding vehicle or the crash to contact the department’s detective bureau at 586-574-4810.